


Lost

by LadyEkaterina



Category: Gods own country, God’s Own Country
Genre: Bit of Fluff, Brexit, Happy Ending, M/M, One Shot, some racial slurs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 14:15:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21138038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyEkaterina/pseuds/LadyEkaterina
Summary: Brexit is looming and farm life is difficult. Can Johnny and Gheorghe find a way through?





	Lost

Johnny wasn’t sure when things started to change. They had been so busy on the farm and money had been tighter than ever. His father was getting weaker daily and his nan was struggling to take care of Martin and the house. Johnny felt that Gheorghe was pulling away from him, retreating into himself and he reacted by returning to being the sullen young man from before Gheorghe’s arrival.  
The last few months had been hard for Gheorghe, leading up to Brexit. He was getting more open abuse in town from people and often had things thrown at him or had people shouting “Why don’t you go home Dracula” or “Fuck off Gippo”. They only attacked when he was alone, but the bullying caused him to seriously consider returning to Romania. He didn’t know if he’d be able to stay anyway, and he didn’t dare talk to Johnny about it as his boyfriend felt unapproachable. Even at the farmers market he was finding it difficult. Recently a new group of young men had started turning up. They were rowdy and would often bully some of the stall holders. They’d left Gheorghe alone as he was an imposing fellow, until he’d intervened when his neighbour was being accosted and once they heard his voice, well then they had delighted in mimicking and harassing the young man. 

Johnny and Gheorghe fell into bed every night exhausted and woke at dawn not feeling refreshed. They hadn’t had sex in ages, and they were both frustrated sexually, emotionally and physically. They took out their respective moods on each other, sniping and whinging at each other, and in their misery had started sleeping away from each other. Johnny woke in the night cold and bereft. He patted the bed beside him. Nothing. Johnny sat up, getting used to the darkness, where he saw Gheorghe standing at the window, gazing out at the farm as the pre dawn light gently began to bathe him in a soft glow.  
“You all right”  
Johnnys voice was rough and low. Gheorghe turned to face him.  
“I’m fine John. Go back to sleep”  
Johnny sighed. He knew neither of them was fine right now. But communication was never his strong point, nor was it Gheorghe’s. He lay back down and shut his eyes, giving the semblance of sleep.  
They went through their days bickering and exchanging dark looks as they built walls, manhandled sheep and fed beasts.  
When they came inside for lunch, Deirdre took one look at their faces and shoved the sandwiches down in silence before busying herself elsewhere. They ate in silence and pushed their chairs out without exchanging a word. Deirdre heard the door and came back in to find the table in disarray, plates still there and the chairs pushed out. Martin pushed his chair back to the kitchen.  
“Boys?”  
Deirdre bit back a sharp retort.  
“Aye. They’re a pair of right mards .”  
Martin nodded.  
“Farm...... hard.”  
“I know that, Martin. Doesn’t call for rudeness.” Deirdre’s tone was snippy.  
The next day was a market day. They loaded up the trailer with the animals for sale and the cheese for the stall. Gheorghe was trying to pack his cheese when Johnny was ready to go.  
“For Chrissakes, come on!” He called.  
Gheorghe mumbled something in Romanian.  
“What was that?”  
“Nothing.”  
Gheorghe got in the passenger side and put his seat belt on.  
“I am ready. Didn’t you want to get going?”  
Johnny swore under his breath and started the van.

Every Tuesday and Friday, they had a spot at the local farmers market. Gheorghe would sell the cheese and Johnny would go to the auctions and talk with other farmers.  
Gheorghe sighed. His tormentors were here, loudly roaming the market, getting in everyone’s way. They spotted him and gleefully encircled the stall with a selection of threats and racial slurs.  
Suddenly there was a shout from across the marketplace. A man in his thirties was approaching shouting and waving a stick. When the hands saw him they ran off giggling and cawing.  
“I’m sorry about my boys. They can be a tad exuberant” the voice was deep, the accent, clipped.  
“Ahh this is the Saxby farm cheese is it. Just been talking to young Saxby. Decent chap.”  
He leant forward to taste the cheese.  
“You work for the Saxbys then?“  
Gheorghe froze. He hadn’t expected Johnny to be open with this stranger but.....  
“I work the farm with John” he emphasised the ‘with’.  
“Do you by god.” The man was amused by Gheorghe’s vehemence but his smile wasn’t pleasant.  
“And when are you moving on?”  
The question floored Gheorghe.  
“I had not planned on leaving.”  
“Really.? I though you all needed to travel. Moving from place to place in your blood, right, Gypsy?“  
Gheorghe’s face was cold.  
“No”  
“Ahh well. Have to see how young Saxby feels. Was hoping to do some business with him. Quite a lot of business it happens. I represent the Earl of Stafford... But if he’s taking in waifs and strays, he might not be our man....” The man took another morsel of cheese and waved as he walked away.  
Gheorghe stood frozen. Would John really consider working with that man? He was horrible. But Gheorghe knew the farm needed a customer like this Earl person. What would that mean for him and John? Things had been hard. They had become distant, Gheorghe knew. Had John been thinking the same thing? And maybe this Earl would help him to break away from Gheorghe. Tears pricked his eyes, and he was relieved when the market finally closed in the afternoon.

Gheorghe walked into the large pub and saw the Earl’s man standing too close to his John. The man was laughing and put out a hand to push Johnny’s hair off his face. Johnny had a pint in hand. Johnny caught sight of Gheorghe and started to smile, but it faded when the dark man turned on his heel and walked out.  
“Everything all right?”  
“What? Oh yeah. I thought I saw Gheorghe but maybe not.”  
“Is that your Gypsy fellow? Probably not too comfortable in here eh?”  
The man laughed again. He looked around and all his bully boys were laughing too. Johnny didnt like him, and definitely didn’t like him calling Gheorghe “gypsy.” Also, whilst Johnny knew he wasn’t the smartest man in the world, he was pretty sure what this man called business, the government would call fraud and tax evasion. He put his pint down and looked at the man laughing in front of him. He considered his options. He looked down to the floor and then without warning he drew back his fist and threw a punch right in the man’s nose. Blood gushed out.  
Johnny leaned forwards. “Do not call him that” he hissed.  
Johnny raised his hands as the doorman came towards him purposefully. The black clad giant took a firm hold of Johnny's elbpw and escorted him out. The walked through the double doors and Johnny saw Gheorghe sitting quietly at a table. Gheorghe looked up with tears in his eyes as the two exited.  
The doorman spoke in heavily accented English  
“I heard what he said. It’s my job to evict you, but thank you.“  
Then the doorman looked up at Gheorghe and called over in Romanian. Gheorghe got up and immediately came to Johnny's side.  
“Show me.” he said  
Johnny held out his bruised fist. And Gheorghe took it gently in his two large hands.. He bent his head to kiss the sore knuckles. The doorman smiled and returned into the pub.  
“I’m sorry, Gheorghe.”  
“It’s me who should be sorry. I should have told you before. It is getting worse. All over. Here, home. I began to wonder if I was holding you back. If I should leave.”  
“No Gheorghe!” Johnny wailed in anguish.  
“I know what you did in there. What you did for me. I should have trusted you. I should have had faith.”  
“I hated that man. But that money...”  
“We do need to do something though? John, the farm....”  
“We’ll find a way without kowtowing to bigots like him.”  
Gheorghe smiled when he realised John hadn’t even committed the man’s name to memory. Then John spoke again.  
“We will find a way through.” He held out his hand to Gheorghe. “Together?”  
Gheorghe took his hand.  
“Together.”  
They walked towards their vehicle hand in hand in companionable silence. Johnny stopped suddenly and pulled out his phone.  
“Hang on I need to make a phone call first.”  
Johnny dug put his mobile and called directory enquiries and was connected. He spoke for maybe 5 minutes and then turned to Gheorghe.  
“OK. Let’s go home”  
After supper the two sat in the kitchen and talked. About the farm. About ideas. About things they could do to make things better, easier.  
Deirdre came in just once to get Johnny’s help in taking his dad up to bed. she stood watching the two deep in conversation, a tiny smile on her face. Johnny came back down alone to find Gheorghe washing up the tea things. He stood behind his boyfriend and slipped his arms around his waist, pressing his cheek against the man’s jumper, breathing in his warm scent of tobacco and clove and cinnamon.  
Gheorghe finished the last mug and turned in Johnny’s arms.  
“Do you want to talk some more?”  
“Nah We’ve done enough talking. We should go to bed. Wanna show you something”  
Gheorghe smirked.  
“I can tell!”  
Johnny blushed happily, took his boyfriends hand and led him up to bed.  
They stood face to face in their bedroom. Gheorghe lifted his right hand to cradle Johns face before leaning in to kiss him. He felt Johnny nuzzle into the hand and with a sharp stab, Gheorghe realised how much he’d missed the warmth of John’s touch. His lips met Johnny’s hungrily. Johnny moved his arm to pull Gheorghe closer, closer. Gheorghe growled into Johnny’s mouth before moving him towards the bed. When the frame hit Johnny in the back of his calves, he sat down suddenly. Gheorghe pulled his jumper over his head and then his t shirt. Johnny followed suit, so that when Gheorghe pushed him back onto the bed, Johnny could feel the warmth of Gheorghe’s chest and the softness of his chest hair. 

Later he lay with his head on Gheorghe’s chest  
“I missed yer. You seemed so far away. “  
Gheorghe kissed Johnny’s head.  
“I felt like I had no place. I was losing myself and you as well.”  
“I don’t want that”  
Gheorghe smiled his little smile.  
“No. I do not want that either.”  
“Will ya say. If’n it happens again?”  
“I will try.”  
“Me too. And I’ll try too, to notice.”  
Feeling more comfortable than he had in weeks, Johnny closed his eyes and fell asleep.  
He woke up in the night to find his limbs entwined with Gheorghe's. Smiling, Johnny went back to sleep easily.  
It was a couple of days later that Deirdre returned from town with a newspaper which she dropped onto the table. Gheorghe flicked through it and gasped when he saw a large photograph of the Earl’s man. He read the short article. Johnny crept up behind him and wrapped his arms around him.  
“What are you reading?”  
“Look John, it’s that man. Says here he has been arrested for fraud,”  
“Well now there’s a thing.” Johnny was smirking.  
“Yes.” continued Gheorghe. “Apparently there was an anonymous tip.”  
“Wow.” Johnny nuzzled into his boyfriend.  
Gheorghe heard the amused tone and spun round.  
“You turned him in?”  
“Maybe”  
Johnny gave him that shy half smile.  
“Can’t have someone dissing my man now can I?”  
Gheorghe gazed at him in wonder and would have kissed him had Deirdre not arrived at that minute and shooed them both to the door with her broom. They went willingly, laughing as they put their boots and coats on to start their day.  
Martin wheeled into the kitchen after her.  
“Better.”  
“I reckon so.”  
“Johnny...... happy?”  
“Oh yes, love. I think so.”  
The both watched the two young men chatting and laughing as they walked arm in arm to the barn.


End file.
